Revised requirements issued

The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) is publishing the final versions of the Organic Export Requirements under the Official Organic Assurance Programme (OOAP).

The 2 revised documents are:

• Organic Export Requirement: Recognised Agencies and Persons (OER: RAP) [PDF, 826 KB]
• Organic Export Requirement: Organic Production Rules (OER: OPR) [PDF, 1.2 MB]

These requirements will enter into force on 2 December 2019. Operators will have a transition period of 21 months to comply with the new requirements. This includes a 6-month transition period for Recognised Agencies. The OER: RAP will take full effect on 2 June 2020. The OER: OPR will take full effect on 2 September 2021. The requirements will include ‘stock in trade’ provisions, allowing product that was produced under the current standards to be exported or supplied for export until stocks are exhausted.

The follow documents will no longer apply after 2 September 2021.

• Expand OOAP Standard OP1 – Accreditation, Recognition, and Performance Measurement Criteria for Third Party Agencies and their Personnel
• Expand OOAP Standard OP2 – Third Party Agency Responsibilities
• Expand OOAP Standard OP3 – Registration and Performance Measurement Criteria for Operators
• Expand OOAP Standard OP3 appendix 2 – Technical Rules for Organic Production
• Expand OOAP Standard OP3 appendix 2 chapter 8a – Technical Rules for Organic Wine

MPI has also released a summary of key differences between the current OOAP standards, and the revised OOAP requirements:

• Revised OOAP Requirement Summary of amendments [PDF, 295 KB]